Body and Soul (1981)

November 22, 1981

'BODY AND SOUL,' REMAKE OF RING SAGA

By JANET MASLIN

Published: November 22, 1981

''Body and Soul,'' which opened Friday at the Loew's State and other theaters, is only a passable remake of the old John Garfield boxing saga. But at least it's one of the few reasonably entertaining movies to be directed toward black audiences lately. Leon Isaac Kennedy (who also wrote the screenplay) and Jayne Kennedy star as a fast-rising young boxer and the very nice woman who believes in him, with a supporting cast that includes Peter Lawford as a high roller who tries to fix Mr. Kennedy's big fight, and Muhammad Ali as, well, Muhammad Ali.

Mr. Kennedy gives a credible performance, while Miss Kennedy looks great but sounds artificial even by soap-opera standards. Most of the dialogue, particularly hers, sounds as if it had been recycled from song lyrics. There is, for instance, her line ''I don't play with hearts the way you do!'' or any of the various speeches to Mr. Kennedy, once he has had his head turned by success, about how everyone believed in him and he was supposed to be somebody. In view of this fairytale quality, George Bowers's direction might be expected to owe a lot to ''Rocky.'' But Mr. Bowers, who has borrowed Sylvester Stallone's penchant for slow-motion fight scenes and extreme, meaty savagery in the ring, otherwise directs the movie in a simple and unencumbered style.

''Body and Soul,'' in this version, is something of an audienceparticipation movie. At one of Friday's screenings, Mr. Ali got a big cheer just for appearing to jog beside Mr. Kennedy and help him with his training. Miss Kennedy got a hand for looking pretty in a scene that had Mr. Kennedy arriving at her house at 3 A.M. and rousing her out of bed. ''She look good when she get up!'' cried one man in disbelief, and he went on to a noisy explanation of how rotten his own wife had looked in the morning. That, he said, was why he was now paying alimony.

BODY AND SOUL, directed by George Bowers; screenplay by Leon Isaac Kennedy; produced by Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, in associa- tion with Kennedy Productions. At Loews State 2, Loews Orpheum 1, Loews Showplace 2, RKO Coliseum and neighborhood theaters. Running time: 109 minutes. This film is rated R.